Paint brush scraper



July 5, 1960 T. 1.. MONIER PAINT BRUSH SCRAPER Filed April so, 1958 United States Patent PAINT BRUSH SCRAPER Theodore L. Monier, New Hartford, Conn.

Filed Apr. 30, 1958, Ser. No. 732,096 l claim. 01. 220-90 This invention relates to painting equipment and more particularly to an attachment for paint cans.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a brush Wiper attachment for paint cans which will enable the brush to be wiped at a point spaced from the radially inwardly extending lip of conventional types of paint cans so as to maintain such lip completely free from paint at all times.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a paint brush wiper attachment of the above type that can be readily installed on all types of conventional paint cans so as to prevent paint from entering the top closure lip of the can and thus provide a cleaner and tighter seal between the lid and paint can for more complete and better preservation of the paint remaining within the can after each use.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a paint brush wiper attachment for paint cans bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of a paint can embodying a brush wiper attachment made in accordance with one form of the present invention, in operative use;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the brush wiper attachment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing a modified form of construction;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing a still further modified form of construction;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a still further modified form of construction in operative use; and

Figure 6 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, a brush wiper attachment 10 made in accordance with one form of the present invention for removing excess paint from paint brushes 11 that have been dipped into paint 13 contained within a conventional type paint can 12, is shown to include a substantially fiat bar 16. This bar 16 has U-shaped recesses 17 at each end for receiving the radially inwardly extending flange 14 of the can 12 so as to properly maintain the bar 16 in a plane that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the can. An L-shaped clip 18 is integrally secured to the central portion of the bar 16 in a plane that is substantially normal to the plane of the bar and which terminates in an enlargement 19.

In actual use, this device 10 is applied to the paint can 12 by first guiding adjacent portions of the inwardly adjacent flange 14 of the can into the end recesses 17 in the bar. By then drawing the bar outwardly toward a side of the can, the enlargement 19 of the spring clip 18 may be engaged over the cylindrical side wall of the can, as shown in Figure 1, thus releasably retaining it in proper position, in which it lies along a chord of a circle that is coincident with the opening defining portions in the top of the can. As the brush is dipped into the paint 13 in the can 12 and withdrawn, the bristles are wiped against the upper edge of the bar 16, thus causing the excess paint to return to the mass Within the can. This action thus automatically prevents any paint from entering the cavity defined by the flange 14, thus maintaining it in a clean and proper condition at all times.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawing, a slightly modified form of construction 20 is shown in which the bar 22 having recesses 23 at each end is provided with a rigid clip 24 in the form of a 'O-clamp having a thumb screw 25 acting at one end. This thumb screw 25 replaces the enlargement 19 of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 2, to provide a more positive acting securement means for attaching the unit 20 to the paint can.

In Figure 4 of the drawing, a still further modified form of construction 30 is shown to include a rigid bar 32 having bifurcated end portions that define downwardly depending lips 33 which are engageable beneath the innermost portion of the radially inwardly extending flange 14 of the paint can. Associated thumb screws 34 provide means for releasably securing the bar 32 in proper position upon the can.

In Figures 5 and 6 of the drawing, a still further modified form of construction 35 is shown to include a rigid rod 37 that extends along a line coincident with a chord of a circle defined by the opening in the top of the can. The ends of this rod 37 are integrally secured within the side walls of the can during the manufacture and filling thereof, so as to be a permanent attachment thereto. In each of the aforementioned embodiments, however, the wiping structure can readily be removed from the can before the lid is applied so that it may be supplied as a completely separate unit in different sizes for quart and gallon size cans.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A brush wiper attachment for cylindrical paint cans having a radially inwardly directed lip comprising, in combination, a rigid member having a wiping edge, means for securing said rigid member transversely of said paint can along a line coincident with a chord of a circle common to the periphery of the lip of the can, said rigid member comprising a substantially flat bar of rectangular cross sectional configuration having bifurcated ends, said bifurcated ends of said bar each including a portion of said bar and a depending lip, each bifurcated end of said bar receiving circumferentially spaced apart portions of the radially inwardly directed lip of the can to support said bar in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said can and partly disposed within the interior thereof, said depending lips of said bar underlying said radially inwardly directed lip of the paint can, and the opposite ends of said bar overlying said inwardly directed lip of the paint can, and said securing means comprising a thumb screw threadedly carried at each end of said bar extending substantially normal to the general plan thereof in a direction toward said depending lips of said respective ends.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bradbury Sept. 11, 1906 Sill May 27, 1930 5 Myers Aug. 8, 1944 Katsikas Mar. 12, 1957 

